Tag Archives: Dimuthu Tennakoon

SriLankan Airlines opens new office in Trivandrum, India

 

On May 13, 2024, SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka, inaugurated its new office in Trivandrum, marking the beginning of a strategic partnership with Translanka Air Travels Pvt. Ltd. as the appointed General Sales Agent (GSA) for South Kerala. This milestone underscores the airline’s dedication to strengthening its presence in Southern Kerala and providing an enhanced service to passengers from areas including Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Varkala, Kovalam, Marthandam, Nagercoil, and Tirunelveli.

Renowned for its extensive network in India, SriLankan Airlines commenced flights to Trivandrum in April 1980. Since then, it has maintained consistent connections between Trivandrum and Colombo, facilitating travel to various global destinations via Colombo, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Male, Singapore, and more. Presently, SriLankan Airlines operates four weekly flights between Trivandrum and Colombo, specifically on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Worldwide Sales and Distribution, SriLankan Airlines, reflected on the airline’s longstanding relationship with Trivandrum, stating, “44 years ago, SriLankan Airlines was one of the first international airlines to launch flights to Trivandrum, and we have not looked back since. It has been our absolute privilege to serve the people of Southern Kerala and Trivandrum and connect them with the world through our comprehensive flight service that comes with a touch of true Sri Lankan hospitality. I am confident that this new partnership will enable us to take our service to even greater heights in the future.”

With Sri Lanka being the closest international destination to South Kerala and Trivandrum, the country remains a favored holiday spot among Keralites. The increasing number of Indians visiting Sri Lanka reflects its growing popularity, driven by the warm cultural affinity and the plethora of unique sights, cuisine, and experiences it offers.

The airline looks forward to serving customers in South Kerala and Trivandrum with renewed dedication to service delivery, in collaboration with its new GSA and office. The inauguration of the office was attended by key figures including Fawzan Fareid, Head of Worldwide Sales and Distribution; Regional Manager for India, Bangladesh, and Nepal; Sandun Jayasinghe, Area Manager Trivandrum of SriLankan Airlines; and B. Ramesh Kumar, Managing Director of Translanka Air Travels, reaffirming the airline’s enduring commitment to its customers in the region.

SriLankan Airlines enhances connectivity and network expansion with India

 

In a strategic initiative to strengthen its footprint in the Indian aviation market, SriLankan Airlines has officially relocated its Mumbai office to a more spacious setting, marking the commencement of ambitious expansion plans for 2024. To commemorate this, the airline hosted a lunch event for its trade partners in Mumbai.

This relocation signifies the airline’s dedication to augmenting its network operations in India and promoting increased tourism between the two nations. As a part of its growth strategy, SriLankan Airlines envisions a substantial expansion in its route network within India, facilitating connectivity and introducing services to enhance the overall travel experience. The decision to move to a larger office space in Mumbai underscores the airline’s confidence in the potential for air traffic between India and Sri Lanka. Presently, Sri Lankan Airlines operates 95 weekly flights from 9 Indian cities and aims to increase the frequency from these cities before incorporating a new location into its route network. As a member of the oneworld alliance, SriLankan also provides its passengers with connectivity to over 1,000 cities in 160 countries served by its oneworld partner airlines.

SriLankan Airlines has set its sights beyond fortifying connections between India and Sri Lanka. The airline is positioning itself as a pivotal hub for East-bound travel originating from India, responding to the escalating demand for flights to the Far East and Australia. This strategic move aligns with the airline’s vision of becoming the preferred choice for Indian travelers exploring destinations beyond Sri Lanka.

Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Worldwide Sales & Distribution at SriLankan Airlines, stated, “Our decision to relocate to a larger office space in Mumbai is a strategic move that underscores our commitment to the Indian market. We recognize the immense potential for growth and collaboration between India and Sri Lanka. By expanding our network operations and focusing on delivering top-notch services, we aim to contribute to the increased flow of tourists and business travelers between the two nations.”

Despite facing challenges, SriLankan Airlines remains optimistic about the future, with plans to surpass pre-COVID travel numbers in 2024. In 2018, around 450,000 Indians visited Sri Lanka, a figure that experienced a decline in 2023, reaching approximately 320,000. The airline’s dedication to providing enhanced services, improved connectivity, and larger aircraft is anticipated to attract a surge in Indian travelers, contributing to a rebound in tourism figures.

As the airline takes this bold step toward expansion, its objective extends beyond securing a position in the competitive Indian aviation sector. SriLankan Airlines aspires to cultivate deeper economic and cultural ties between the two nations.

‘SriLankan Airlines’ Total Revenue Sees a 20% Contribution from the Indian market’

The Indian market contributes 20% of the total revenue for the SriLankan Airlines said its Head of Worldwide Sales & Distribution Dimuthu Tennakoon, while exclusively speaking to TravelBiz Monitor. The airline has recently introduced double daily flights between Colombo and Mumbai.

“Mumbai has emerged as the second destination after Chennai in terms of number of passengers and frequencies. Last year, despite a few challenges, our Indian operation was successful,” he said. Tennakoon added, “The Indian market has been incredibly important to SriLankan Airlines since the get-go, and with India fast becoming one of the world’s largest outbound travel markets, we are only happy to expand our operations in one of India’s most celebrated cities and make travel between Mumbai and Colombo extra seamless.”

Talking about passengers, he said they recorded 80% load factor throughout the year. Currently, the airline operates from 9 cities in India. When asked about their focus, Tennakoon said that their priority is to increase capacity on the existing connections.

To enhance passenger comfort for travellers from India, SriLankan Airlines is considering adjusting the arrival times of select flights to Sri Lanka. “In certain Indian locations, the current arrival times are either midnight or early morning. Our goal is to provide more convenient timings for passengers, and the schedules should be tailored to meet the requirements and preferences of our passengers,” emphasised Tennakoon.

SriLankan Airlines has introduced its SriLankan Direct Connect, a New Distribution Capability (NDC) agents booking portal. Speaking about this, he said that they had first launched it in Sri Lanka in June last year. “After Sri Lanka, we launched it in India as it is a very important market for us. Around 200 plus agents are using it across 9 stations we operate. The next launch will be in the Middle-East market,” said Tennakoon.

According to him, Sri Lanka received 302,000 tourists from India in 2023. “The figure is quite impressive when compared with 2022, and  I believe this year we will surpass the 2018 figure (from India) which was 450,000,” said an optimistic Tennakoon.

 

SriLankan Airlines soon to come up with lucrative offers as the country opens its border for fully vaccinated Indian tourists

With Sri Lankan Government’s announcement to reopen the island nation to fully vaccinated Indian tourists including for those who had administered Covaxin, SriLankan Airlines decided to strengthen its presence in India with more destinations and frequencies.

Speaking to TravelBiz Monitor, Dimuthu Tennakoon, SriLankan Airlines’ head of worldwide sales and distribution, said that it’s a huge announcement at the most appropriate time. “ Currently, in India, more than 120 million people have been fully vaccinated which has resulted in the reawakening interest in travel. I strongly believe tourists from Northern, Southern and Western regions of India will visit Sri Lanka soon,” said Dimuthu. He strongly feels that travellers belonging to Family and FIT segments will travel more after this announcement. “We will soon announce some lucrative offers for travellers,” Dimuthu revealed.

Sri Lanka will accept tourists with all vaccines including Covaxin and there will be no quarantine for travellers who test Covid negative on arrival in Sri Lanka. One just needs to be fully vaccinated, with the second shot taken at least 14 days before the trip. A mandatory RT-PCR test will be conducted in the hotel and if anyone tests positive will be taken to health care centers run from hotels. All global Covid protocols like social distancing, & hand sanitation will be strictly followed.

SriLankan Airlines currently operates four flights a week from Chennai, three flights a week from Mumbai, and once a week from Bangalore to its hub in Colombo. To strengthen ongoing operations, SriLankan will be introducing a host of frequency enhancements out of key Indian cities into Colombo effective September 1, 2021. The airline will be resuming services between Colombo and the Indian points; Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Trivandrum and Cochin with flights once a week, whilst Hyderabad and New Delhi will be connected to Colombo with twice-weekly flights.

Further, the airlines’ operations out of Chennai and Mumbai will expand up to five times a week whilst its Bangalore-Colombo services will be enhanced to flights three times a week. Before the outbreak of the pandemic, the Airline operated an extensive network out of 11 Indian cities over 120 flights a week to Colombo, connecting travellers to the resplendent island and beyond.